Time-stamp



(No Model.) j *3 Sheets-Sheet 1;

' J. G. WILSON.

TIME STAMP.

No. 527,918. Patented 001;. 23, 1894.

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(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. 0. WILSON.

TIME STAMP. I

Patented Oct. 23, 1894.

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Patented Oct. 23,1894.

[wen/Z02" fiUZM 6. WW v Witnesses WQM - NITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

" JOHN 0. WILSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TIM E-STAM P.

SPECIFICATION'fOrming part of Letters Patent No. 527,918, dated October 23, 1894.

Application filed June 1'7, 1891 Renewed March 24,1894. Serial No. 505,015. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN 0. WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Sudolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certainnew' and useful Improvements in Time-Stamps, of which the following is a full specification.

My invention consists of certain improve-. ments in apparatus for registering automatically upon a paper or document the exact time at which any transaction occurs, as, for instance, the arrival, delivery, or sending away of a message, telegraph or signal, the arrival or departure of an employ, the signing of a paper, 850.

My object is to produce atime stamp which prints a fac-simile of the clock dial showing both the hour and the minute at which the Stamping was done, and moreover, to so arrange the mechanism as to present a continuously visible time indicating clock dial and hands at the top of the apparatus, the hands moving in unison with the printing dies, whereby the operator or an attendant can at any time see at a glance the exact time both as to the hour and the minute at which the stamping takes place. I

My improved apparatus is so constructed that the stamping may either be done by hand or automatically through the agency of an electro magnet and connecting circuit whereby a telegraphic message or Signal transmitted from a distance may be automatically stamped to show the time it was received.

The clock work which moves the hour and minute hands of the clock dial exposed to view at the top of the apparatus also moves the printing dies for the hour and minute hands in the plane of the opposite or printing dial which points downward, the whole arrangement being such that the position of the hour and minute printing dies with relation to the printing dial must, at all times coincide absolutely with the position of the hour and minute hands with relation to the exposed clock dial at the top of the apparatus. The position of the printing dial and hour and minute printing dies is such that in stamping, the impression is made on the top surface of the document, paper or card inserted in the machine, so that the said impression is readily visible without reversing the document paper or card afterward. I, moreover, employ dies for printing A. M. or P. M. at the same impression that prints the hour and minute, showing thus the period of the day at which the impression is made. At twelve oclock, A. M. changes automatically to P. M. or vice versa, as the case may be.

Any desired words may be printed in ad dition to the clock dial and time indicator as for example, the day of the month, the month and the year, Received Forwarded, &c.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on y y, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a section takeniu the plane of a: 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows the impression made by the stamp. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing in detail the mechanism for changing A. M. to P. M. and vice versa, and Fig. 6 is a plan View partly in section of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

A is the case which incloses the working parts of my apparatus, this case being preferably cast in one piece consisting of a large base portion which contains the platen-actuating mechanism, a curved neck supporting the head A of the case, which head contains the clock movement, and a part depending from said head in which are contained the time printing dies, 850.

The frame containing and supporting the clock movement is fastened in any desired manner within the head A of the case. A and A are the bottom and top plates of this frame and B represents part of the clock train which gives motion in the ordinary manner to the hour and minute hands a I) respectively. I

B is the clock dial which with the hands a and b is continuously exposed to view at the top of the apparatus, the cover containing the glass plate A being preferably removable so as to allow the clock to be wound and the ICO O is a train which conveys motion from a gear on the minute shaft 0 to a gear on a sleeve D embracing the minute shaft, so that the sleeve D revolves in unison with the hour hand. This hour hand a, is supported on a removable sleeve a which is frictionally held on the sleeve 1) in the usual manner.

D is the shank of the hour printing died, the said shank being a sleeve attached to the sleeve D so as to turn therewith outside of the minute printing die 0.

E is the printing dial pointing downward through the center of which protrudes the hour printing die 0?, in which is centrally held the minute printing die 0 these two dies being properly supported against anything tending to displace them laterally. The construction and arrangement are such that both the hour and minute printing dies revolve in unison with the hour and minute hands respectively, these dies and printing dial being in such a position as to give an even impression upon a platen which strikes against them.

P P P are word cylinders which as herein shown contain the names of the months, the days of the month and the years respectively thereon which cylinders by means of the operating handle P may be set at any date to print said date at the same impression with the time.

I is an inking ribbon held upon the spools i t" in such a manner that it passes under the printing dial, hour and minute dies and word cylinders.

The impression 0 made by the minute printing die a is preferably in the form of a pointer turning around a pivot which is coincident with the center of the printing dial. The impression (1 made by the hour printing die cl is preferably a dot or spot which as here shown is triangular. The relative position of the marks 0 and d to the dial figures on the printed impression readily indicate the time at which the stamping was done.

The dies printing the A. M. and P. M. will next be explained.

The die containing the letter M is stationary and is not shown.

S (see Figs. 5 and 6) is an arbor containing at its lower end a die 8 5 containing the letters A and P. This arbor is secured to the bottom T of a drum T which turns on the stationary pin N fixed in the plate A Nis a ratchet wheel containing twenty-four teeth mounted to turn loosely on the pin N and connected by means of the spring twith a pin t fixed to the drum T T, so that as the ratchet N turns it has a tendency to drag with it the said drum.

M is a cam wheel fixed on the minute shaft 0 the projection m of which cam wheel at each revolution of the minute shaft engages with a tooth on the ratchet wheel N and moves it a distance of one tooth. The bottom T of the drum T has a projection 25 which is normally locked against a seat on one of the pawls O O, the said pawls being pivoted at 0 and 0 respectively and pressed constantly inward by means of the springs 0 0 respectively. As the ratchet N turns a tooth at a time, it winds up the spring 6 more and more, the ratchet being prevented from turning backward by means of the detent Q pivoted at q and pressed inward by means of the spring q.

n is a projection on the outer face of the ratchet wheel N so placed as to engage with the end of each pawl O 0 when it comes opposite the same.

The parts are so arranged that when the clock indicates the hour of twelve, the projection it will engage with the end of one or the other of the pawls O 0, being the one which at the time holds the projection t on the drum T T. \Vhen the projection it engages, say with the pawl 0 it presses the pawl outward releasing the drum T T which under the in fluence of the spring 25 moves the said drum half around until the projection 15 engages with and is held by the seat on the opposite pawl O, whereit remains until the projection n on the intermittently moving ratchet Ncomes in contact with the end of the pawl 0, when the drum T T is again released, making a half revolution back to the pawl O as before and so on. As thedrum T T revolves half round it carries with it the arbor S and the die 3 s, so that each time the clock reaches the hour of twelve the said die turns automatically presenting the letter P instead of the letter A, or vice versa. The letters A and P are so arranged on the die that but one of them is covered by the printing ribbon at a time, viz:the one that at the time is nearest the printing dial E.

G is the platen preferably bearing on its top surface the pad G on which is placed the document, card or paper to be printed.

g g are regulating screws by means of which the platen may be trued up.

The platen G is borne on the forward arm of a single lever F pivoted at F to the casing A, the end of the other arm of the lever F passing outside of the casing A and being furnished with a knob F whereby the platen may be moved upward against the printing dies by a blow of the hand.

L L is an electro magnet which forms part of an electric circuit. K is the armature of this magnet fixed to the lever F in such a position that when the circuit is closed the platen is moved quickly upward against the printing dies by the attraction of the armature K to the poles of the magnet. The lever F is so balanced that when the electric circuit is open, or when the hand is off the knob F the platen Gis at a proper distance from the printing dies. It will thus be seen that the stamping may either be done by hand or automatically through the electric circuit at any distance from the apparatus.

The forward end of the platen has the pro jection y the case being provided with the thumb stop H, the disk of which has a recess h corresponding to the projection 9 so arranged that when the recess his opposite the projection g the platen may be moved freely up or down, but when the platen is lowered below the opening in the case A and the stop H is so turned that the recess is not opposite the projection g the platen cannot be raised, but is kept at some distance from the printing dies. This is to prevent the platen from accidentally being brought up against the inking ribbon, which would soil the pad or back G, if no card or paper is thereon to be printed.

B, Fig. 4, represents a telegraphic signal message stamped by my improved apparatus showing it to be received at 12.25 p. m.

I claim 1. In a time stamp a continuously visible time indicating clock dial in combination with a printing dial directly opposed thereto, a revoluble shaft at right angles to said dials .provided with time indicating hands and time printing dies traversing respectively said clock and printing dials and suitable actuating mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In a time indicating and time printing clock mechanism, the combination with the minute shaft of two hour sleeves concentric therewith and arranged one on each end of said shaft the said minute shaft and the said hour sleeves co-operating with and controlling minute and hour printing dies at or near one of its ends, and minute and hour indicating hands at or near its other end, substantially as described.

3. In a time printing and time indicating mechanism, a time train and separate concentric hour and minute time indicators or hands situated on one side of the said time train and moved and controlled thereby, in combination with separate concentric hour and minute time printing dies situated on the other side of the said time train and die and provided with the projection m, the v ratchet wheel N actuated by the said cam and provided with the projection 7b, the drum T T concentric with said ratchet wheel, said drum being provided with the projection t spring connection t spring pawls O O engaging with said projection 19, the detent Q, and a movable die connected with the drum T T and provided with the letters A and P all arranged and operating, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In a time stamp the combination with time printing dial and dies of a simple lever fulcrumed in the casing of the apparatus bearing at one end aplaten movable against said dial and dies, and provided at the other end with a knob, an electro magnet and circuit, and an armature secured to said lever, substantially as described.

6. In a time stamp a continuously visible timeindicating clock dial in combination with a printing dial lying in a plane parallel to that of said clock dial, but opposed thereto, time indicating hands and time printing dies traversing respectively said clock and printing dials and suitable actuating mechanism, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN 0. WILSON.

Witnesses:

WM. B. H. DoWsE, ALBERT E. LEAOH. 

